An incredible few days for our Raheny Shamrock AC U16 to U17 juvenile group! On Monday, our young athletes made the trip to Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium for the 2026 European Athletics Championships. The group headed over to cheer on our very own senior star here in Raheny Shamrocks, Brian Fay, in the highly anticipated Men’s 5000m final. Our juveniles also got to watch Jakob Ingebrigtsen capture gold in a tactical masterclass in the men’s 5000m, but the real support was saved for Team Ireland!
Brian Fay put in a massive shift, fighting hard to finish 14th in Europe. Fellow Irishman Nick Griggs delivered the performance of the night, battling to 8th place despite losing his shoe mid-race! Darragh McElhinney rounded out a fantastic trio of Irish finalists, placing 18th. The group also got to see club mate Eric Favors secure a phenomenal 10th-place finish in the Men’s Shot Put final. It was an invaluable masterclass in grit and determination for our rising U16 and U17 stars.
Trips like this are what club athletics is all about. Witnessing athletes who train on the same tracks as they do compete on the global stage. This shows our U16 and U17 athletes exactly what is possible with hard work and determination. A massive thank you to coach Phil Behan who organised the trip, and all the parents including a very special thanks to Kevin Smyth who accompanied and helped out with the group on the trip. If you like to know more about joining this running group please email juvenile@rahenyshamrock.ie . Back to the Cross Country training in St Anne’s Park for the group this week—the future is bright !
